[Scan-DC] 401.015 MHz weather balloon signals -- anyone with decoding experience?

[Andrew Clegg]

Hi all,

I discovered the 401.015 MHz signal from the weather balloons (radiosondes) that the National Weather Service in Sterling sends up twice a day (usually starting around 7 AM and 7 PM, and lasting for a couple of hours or so). At least I presume Sterling is the source. The signal is pretty decent here in Arlington. You can even see the Doppler shift as the balloons hit various winds in the atmosphere.

There are several software packages available for decoding the radiosonde data (some free, some not). Apparently there are different formats of data from different radiosondes so you need the right software to match the radiosonde. In order to avoid a bunch of false starts, does anyone on the list have experience decoding the signals from the local radiosondes, and can make a recommendation on which software works best?

73!
Andy
W4JE